Main menu

Literacy tests for voting are no longer used in the United States, but the tests were widespread for decades in Jim Crow states to stop black people from casting their ballots.

Conservative pundit Ann Coulter called for the return of literacy tests to make it "more difficult to vote" during an appearance this morning on the Fox News program "Fox & Friends," reports Talking Points Memo (video below).

"Fox & Friends" co-host Brian Kilmeade asked Coulter if she was bothered that her vote was equal to the vote of a less informed voter.

Coulter replied:

Popular Video

This young teenage singer was shocked when Keith Urban invited her on stage at his concert. A few moments later, he made her wildest dreams come true.

More than I can say. I just think it should be, well for one thing, a little more difficult to vote. There’s nothing unconstitutional about literacy tests. Instead, we have ballots being given in 124 different languages. And I’m pretty sure Senate debates will not be taking place in Urdu ... So, what are they voting on?

Coulter mockingly added that she would allow Democrats to do vote theft for a 24 hour period, noted RawStory.com.

Nomiki Konst, Executive Director of the Accountability Project, suggested that the U.S. invest more in civic education, which she said has been cut by Republicans.

Kilmeade added, "And let's build on this. If we want to build up civic education, what a great way to do it, to force people to understand what’s going on before we allow them to vote."

Popular Video

This young teenage singer was shocked when Keith Urban invited her on stage at his concert. A few moments later, he made her wildest dreams come true:

Coulter fired back:

Well, that's fine, but until that happens, maybe we can check to see if they can name the vice president before letting them vote. And as for more civic education, that usually means 12 more years of the Chinese-style propaganda in public schools, which only means you are dumber that someone who has not gone to school.

Konst told Coulter that the 14th amendment and the 1965 Voting Rights Act had banned literacy tests, but Coulter claimed that wasn't true.

However, PBS notes that the U.S Supreme Court has ruled that the 1965 Voting Rights Act could ban literacy tests per the 14th Amendment.